Improvement in skinning cattle



H. S. LEWIS: Skinning Cattle.

Patented "April 16, 1867.-

. N. PEFERS. PHOTILLITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D C.

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HQRATIO S. LEWIS, OF COMMUNIPAW, NEW JERSEY.

7 Letters Patent No. 63,910, dated April 16, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN mm GATTLE.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Beit known that I, HORATIO S. LEWIS, of O'ommunipaw, in the county of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Method of Skinning Cattle and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which is made part of this specification, and which represents aperspective view of an apparatus illustrating my invention.

Under the ordinary method of skinning cattle by hand, the knite can scarcely ever be handled with sufii- 'eient skill to avoid cutting, nicking, or-scoring the hide, and thus the latter is generally, not always, obtained in a more or less imperfect condition. The process by'the knife is also difiicult and tedious, and I have found by practical experience that mechanical means or power may be applied in such a way as not only to very greatly expedite-the work, but to effect the removal of the hides without scoring or otherwise deteriorating their condition for tanning.

-The application of machinery or power for the purpose of skinning cattle, constitutes the subject- .matter of the present invention, and in order that others may be enabled to fully understand and-use the same,

Iwill proceed to describe a convenient method of carrying it into effect.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a drum mounted upon a shaft which may extend through one ofthc apartments of a slaughter-house, and which may be driven by steam, horse, or other power. The drum A may be thrown into and out of connection with the shaft B by means of a clutch of any suitable form at G, such means adapting the drum to be put in motion or stopped at will. Upon the drum A is a rope or chain, D, which being Wound upon the drum, is made to apply the desired power by being made fast in any convenient manner to the skin, for which purpose the head of the animal is skinned witli the aid of a knife in customary manner, and then the skin thus detached is gathered up and the rope or chain fastened thereto at a pointjust behind the ears. In preparing the animal for the operation the knife should also be employed for starting the skin at the salient points of the shoulders, and for ripping open the hide upon the inside of the legs, and from the under lip along the belly to the tail. As soon as the animal has been prepared and the rope made fast, the head may be fastened to the ring e on the floor, by a. rope, E, passed around the horns. Then the drum A is put in motion and the hide is stripped from the flesh by sheer force, it being unnecessary to bring the knife into further requisition. The pulling rope passes from the drum A over the piilley F on the floor, so as to apply the strain in the efi'ectivc direction. If desired, nippers or pincers may be attached to one or more ropes connected With the motor, such nippers, when applied to the skin, constituting a more effective means of drawing the skin over the shoulder. A grooved wheel, G, is mounted upon the shaft A, in order that the drummay be rotated by hand through the medium of an endless rope upon said whecl G. This means can be made available in case the driving power of the establishment is temporarily suspended or impaired.

Inasmuch as I have originated and successfully carried into practice the idea of removing hides through the medium of mechanical appliances, it should be here stated that I do not confine myself to the mechanism herein described and represented, the same being merely given as a good type of thc means claimed herein.

Any equivalent mechanical means may be adopted. The animal under treatment can be either laid upon the floor, as represented in the drawing, or be held in suspension;- in either case detail of the process will be simple and obvious. It will also be observed that the skin may be fastened to a fixed point, and the draught-rope applied to the carcass, which will then be drawn out of the skin. I am aware that small animals have had their skins removed by sheer force, as, for instance, in skinning squirrels and e'el's, the head being made fast and the skin torn off by hand. In' such cases, however, the power required is small in comparison to that which is necessary in skinning'animals of the larger kind; and there exists no necessity for the employment of an agency such as I havodescribed herein Hence I do not wish to be understood as claiming the broad idea of removing the hide-by force, unaccompanied by mechanical devices having the substantial functions heroin set forth. I I

Having thus described my invention, the following is What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

I claim the employment of mechanical appliances for removing hides from animals, substantially as and for the purpose described.

I HORATIO S. LEWIS.

Witnesses:

CHAS. D. SMITH,

Geo. A. Moanrson, 

